Magistrate cancels Tsvangirai’s marriage
certificate

A Harare Magistrate on Friday
dealt Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai a blow when he cancelled his marriage
licence to Elizabeth Macheka. This put his wedding on Saturday on hold, pending
a High court appeal which was immediately lodged by Tsvangirai’s legal team. At
the time of writing late Friday, the appeal was still to be
heard.

Magistrate Munamato Mutedzi’s
judgement came as Heads of State and invited guests were making their way into
Harare for the MDC-T leader’s big day. Media reports said Botswana President Ian
Khama and the Swazi Prime Minister jetted into Harare on Friday
afternoon.

Our Harare correspondent
Simon Muchemwa told us his sources are claiming the wedding will continue,
without the signing of certificates. On Thursday the Prime Minister’ spokesman
Luke Tamborinyoka accused the state media of embarking on a smear campaign
against the MDC President.

This was after a South
African woman emerged on Thursday objecting to his wedding. Nosipho Regina
Shilubane, claimed Tsvangirai had in January promised to marry her in December
this year.

She filed an objection at the
Harare Magistrates’ Court against Tsvangirai’s wedding with Macheka. But before
the papers had been filed, the state media had already got copies and were
leaking out the information.

‘Today’s claim was lodged
with the newspapers before it was served on the PM’s lawyers and with the
magistrates’ court. There are those who have obviously sought to dip political
fingers in a social pie,’ Tamborinyoka said in statement.

Political analyst Pedzisai
Ruhanya told SW Radio Africa the relentless campaign against Tsvangirai is
testimony of an intimidated ZANU PF, using state institutions like the
CIO.

‘This is clearly coming from
organizations suffering from misplaced priorities and whose past time is
peddling rumours, half truths and disinformation,’ Ruhanya
said.

Tsvangirai
‘ceremony’ to go ahead: MDC-T

A DEFIANT MDC-T has vowed that Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai’s ‘ceremonies’ will go ahead Saturday despite a Harare magistrate
ruling that his planned wedding was illegal since he is still married to an
ex-flame.

Tsvangirai, 60, had invited a number of regional leaders for
his lavish wedding to Elizabeth Macheka, 35, but the planned nuptials were
thrown into disarray after an ex-lover approached the courts the block
ceremony.

Locardia Karatsenga insists she is married the MDC-T leader
under customary law and the court ruled in her favour after she produced
video evidence of the traditional marriage ceremony where Tsvangirai's
emissaries are shown paying the bride price on his behalf.

"The
marriage licence that had been issued to the premier has been cancelled.
There is in existence a customary law marriage between the prime minister
and Locardia Karimatsenga," her lawyer Everson Samukange said.

"If he
(Tsvangirai) goes ahead with the wedding he will be committing
bigamy.”But the MDC-T vowed that the planned ceremonies would go ahead
despite threats by Karimatsenga’s lawyers to have Tsvangirai
arrested.

“The MDC family has received the decision of the Harare
Magistrate to cancel the marriage licence of the Prime Minister. The MDC
respects the ruling of the court,” the party said in a statement
Friday.

“However, (the party) respectfully disagrees with this ruling and
is happy that Tsvangirai’s lawyers have taken this matter up on
appeal.

“The party is happy to announce that the ceremonies set for
tomorrow at Raintree and Glamis Stadium (in Harare will go) ahead as
planned.”

The court however, dismissed a related case by a South African
woman who claimed the MDC-T leader promised to marry
her.

Tsvangirai’s lawyers said they would challenge the annulment of his
marriage licence at the High Court."The court made its ruling and now we
don't agree with it," Thabani Mpofu, one of the lawyers, told reporters. "We
are going to launch an urgent High Court application, which will be heard
either tonight or tomorrow morning before the wedding."

But
Karimatsenga’s attorneys have since warned they would seek to have the MDC-T
leader arrested if he goes ahead with the wedding.

"It has now been
brought to our attention that the Honourable Prime Minister has committed a
criminal offence by contravening Section 104 of the Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform) Act,” Jonathan Samukange of Venturas and Samukange
law firm wrote in a letter to the Attorney General Thursday.

"In the
circumstances, we request you in terms of the Constitution of Zimbabwe to
direct and order the police to arrest Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for
contravening the said section."

He added: "Could this matter be attended
to urgently as we understand that the Honourable PM intends to persist in
this criminal conduct on Saturday September 15, 2012.

"It is
important in this case that the PM be made to answer to these criminal
charges. He is a leader of a political party and leader of this country and
which he took oath to obey and respect the laws of Zimbabwe.

"The oath
that he took during swearing in as Prime Minister is that he must obey all
the laws of Zimbabwe and he has actually committed a criminal
offence.”

The MDC-T says the court interdict is “part of a grand
political scheme to besmirch, to malign and to soil the image of the Prime
Minister for political gain.”

“Prime Minister Tsvangirai will brave
these political machinations and he gives his assurance that they will not
sway him from his goal of bringing real change and transformation to the
people of Zimbabwe,” the MDC-T leader’s spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka,
said in a statement Friday.

Smear campaign against PM intensifies

In
the past week, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has faced two interdicts to
stop his wedding in what is clearly a well-choreographed move replete with
malice and vindictiveness.

It is evident these are not normal claims, but
nevertheless, the Prime Minister’s lawyers have opposed them, including
another one curiously lodged soon after Ms Lorcadia Karimatsenga had had her
application dismissed by the High Court.

As you are aware, the Prime
Minister lost his wife of 31 years through a fatal accident in
2009.

The Prime Minister would like to thank Zimbabweans across the
political divide and across the social spectrum for their support since his
bereavement until the latest tribulations.

As a widower, he has
sought to move on and in the process there have been several claims, some of
which are out-rightly malicious.

The latest claim, for example, has
sought to wrongfully allege that the complainant had engaged with Prime
Minister Tsvangirai. This is false.

Some of the claims are part of a
grand political scheme to besmirch, to malign and to soil the image of the
Prime Minister for political gain.

Today’s claim was lodged with the
newspapers before it was served on the PM’s lawyers and with the
magistrates’ court. There are those who have obviously sought to dip
political fingers in a social pie.

Zimbabweans are pleased that the PM
has now found a rightful companion with whom he publicly engaged; a loved
one he will publicly wed on Saturday.

The past week alone has seen an
outpouring of messages of support and prayers to the PM and his wife from
Zimbabweans of many political shades. The PM and his family are humbled by
the support, which has also come from the region and the international
community.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai will brave these political
machinations and he gives his assurance that they will not sway him from his
goal of bringing real change and transformation to the people of
Zimbabwe.

Luke TamborinyokaPrincipal Director of Communications and
SpokespersonOffice of the Prime Minister

Zimbabwe’s
president says he has turned to China for military defense

HARARE, Zimbabwe —
Zimbabwe’s president says his country turned to China to beef up its
military training capabilities after what he called threats of an invasion
from Western countries intending to lead to “regime change.”

President
Robert Mugabe said Friday at the opening of a Chinese-built military
training academy north of Harare that “hate-filled tactics” by the West have
acted as a “wake-up call” for the country to strengthen its defense.
Zimbabwe received a $98 million loan from China to build the sprawling
complex.

China wants the loan repaid over 13 years from diamonds being
mined by Chinese companies in eastern Zimbabwe.

Mugabe said the new
National Defence College will act as a “think tank” on security matters
under threat from Western enemies whose “adventurism went to the extent of
seeking a military invasion of Zimbabwe.”

Mugabe
‘disrespectful, misguided’: Jamaica PM

JAMAICAN Prime Minister, Portia Simpson
Miller, has dismissed as "disrespectful and misguided" controversial
comments made by President Robert Mugabe about Jamaican men while the
country’s opposition is demanding a full apology from the Zimbabwean
leader.

A week after Mugabe's comments triggered intense public debate,
Simpson Miller hit back saying the Zimbabwean leader's remarks were
untrue.

Mugabe had last week Wednesday labelled Jamaican men as
underachievers who get high on ganja, drunk on alcohol, refuse to go to
college and spend time twisting their hair.

Simpson Miller said
Thursday Mugabe's statement was disrespectful to the hundreds of thousands
of Jamaican men who are excellent fathers, professionals and outstanding
citizens.

In a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister, Simpson
Miller said Mugabe's remarks, "regardless of whether they were spoken 'in
jest' as was stated" in Wednesday's edition of NewZimbabwe.com, "were
grossly unfortunate, misguided and untrue".

It took eight days, since
the president's controversial remarks, for Jamaica House to confirm through
"exhaustive checks" by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
that Mugabe made the uncomplimentary comments about Jamaican men at the
launch of a 2012 Research and Intellectual Institute Expo in,
Harare.

Said Simpson Miller: "We are confident that the remarks of
President Mugabe do not represent the sentiments of the people of Zimbabwe,
other African countries and the rest of the world."

She added: "Our
confidence is predicated on the fact that there are many outstanding and
globally accepted examples of the character and contribution of Jamaican men
who have set the benchmark as exceptional achievers."

However, opposition
leader Andrew Holness suggested that the prime minister's statement on was
inadequate."We should send an official letter of protest and ask for an
apology in expressing our disgust and dissatisfaction at the statement," the
opposition leader insisted.

He argued that Mugabe's utterances could
have international implications, noting that people who read his comments in
the Zimbabwean press could form a particular view about
Jamaicans.

"We have Brand Jamaica to protect and that statement is
certainly not helping Brand Jamaica," Holness stressed.

He said at
the time Mugabe's comments were made, there was no clarification to suggest
they were made in jest."If it were said in jest and there is an
acknowledgement that the comments created, 'to use a euphemism, discomfort'
for Jamaicans or were untrue, then it should not be a difficulty for Mugabe
to apologise. Indeed, the apology should be automatic."

Holness said
the prime minister should also consider reviewing the membership in the
Order of Jamaica given to Mugabe."I think the PM should take a look at it
... the terms on which the order was given and to see whether or not his
record actually deserves having the order."

Amnesty says Zimbabwe police detained 300

(AFP) – 1 hour agoHARARE —
Amnesty International said on Friday Zimbabwe police had indiscriminately
detained over 300 people this week and randomly beaten people in an
crackdown on gangs in the capital.The arrests in Harare came amid high
tensions between security forces and violent gangs of mini-bus touts who
enjoyed relative impunity because of their ties with President Mugabe's
ZANU-PF party, Amnesty said.Police were "roaming the streets, carrying out
random beatings and whippings, which is absolutely unacceptable," said Noel
Kututwa, southern Africa director for the London-based human rights
group.He urged the government to "act immediately to bring the police under
control".Amnesty said witnesses had reported that riot and military
police had beaten "innocent" people this week as they sought to arrest touts
at mini-bus stations after clashes with the police and the army."The 308
people already detained must be brought before a court immediately," Kututwa
said of those locked up Wednesday."Innocent members of the public also
arrested during the police action must be released immediately and
unconditionally."He said the police attempt to restore law and order "has
resulted in further chaos".Amnesty said mini-bus touts had beaten two
soldiers, and this had prompted revenge attacks by a group of about 20
soldiers early this week.Kututwa called the recent events the "tip of the
iceberg"."Gangs linked to President Mugabe's ZANU-PF party have been
enjoying total impunity for human rights abuses against their political
opponents and members of the public," said Kututwa."The culture of
impunity that permeates Zimbabwe's security forces needs to be urgently
addressed."In the run-up to the constitutional referendum and elections,
when tensions are high, it is imperative that Zimbabwe is policed by a body
that upholds the highest standards of impartiality."Zimbabwe is this
year expected to hold a referendum on a proposed constitution to pave the
way for elections next year.The police were not immediately available to
comment.

Media
groups slam establishment of ‘disciplinary’ council

Media groups in Zimbabwe have slammed the
establishment of a Media Council that they have warned will further restrict
the work of independent journalists and press houses across the
country.

The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), whose board includes
notorious media ‘hangman’ Tafataona Mahoso, launched the new media council
on Thursday. The commission appointed 13 councillors, including the
Zimpapers CEO Justin Mutasa and Happison Muchechetere, the CEO of Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Holdings.

Journalist Henry Muradzikwa chairs the council and
he has pledged to close the gap between the state and private
media.

“There is a dichotomy between the state and private media. We must
play our part not to perpetuate that division,” he said at the launch of the
council on Thursday.

Also speaking at the launch, ZMC chairman
Godfrey Majonga said media stakeholders had called for the inclusion of
specific clauses that guaranteed freedom of expression and access to
information in the new Constitution.

But independent media groups,
like the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe, have raised concern. The MMPZ
said in a statement that it is “opposed to the establishment of this council
on the grounds that it is an instrument of the notorious Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which continues to be
used to stifle all media activity in Zimbabwe.”

“This Act purports to
regulate media activity, but in fact controls who can and cannot practice
journalism and criminalizes offenders. The establishment of the media
council will give the Commission additional powers to punish registered
journalists and media houses who violate an as-yet-to-be-declared Code of
Conduct. Such a repressive law severely diminishes Zimbabweans’ rights to
freedom of expression and is unnecessary in a democratic society,” the MMPZ
said.

These concerns have been echoed by the Voluntary Media Council, an
independent group set up by media players in Zimbabwe. The Voluntary group’s
Executive Director, Takura Zhangazha, told SW Radio Africa that the new
council was “established in terms of AIPPA and therefore its role is to
criminalise media.” He said they “do not, in any way, recognise the
legitimacy of this council.”

He said the ZMC, together with
repressive laws like AIPPA, “only limit and do not expand freedom of
expression.”

“The concerns are that the media reform programme of the
unity government has been primarily cosmetic and it has not dealt with
fundamental issues of true democratic reform. That means that ahead of
elections, the fundamental attitude of the security services will be the
same, seeking to arrest journalists, seeking to criminalise the media
profession, because the laws are still the same,” Zhangazha said.

ZANU
PF cannot set agenda for COPAC—Mwonzora

MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora has said ZANU PF cannot
set the agenda for COPAC by telling them what documents to bring to the
Second All Stakeholders Conference.

Following the party’s politburo
meeting on Wednesday ZANU PF resolved that the national report, based on the
outreach program, be published and accompany the COPAC draft to the Second
All Stakeholders’ Conference.

This, the party said, was the only way
Zimbabweans could compare what they said during the outreach with what is in
the draft.

But speaking to SW Radio Africa’s Election Watch program on
Friday, the Nyanga North MP and COPAC co-chairman said Article VI of the GPA
makes it clear that the constitution making process is a parliamentary
one.

‘For that reason the Speaker of Parliament appointed COPAC, so the
only person who can direct us in this case is the speaker and not MDC-T,
MDC-N or ZANU PF. Therefore demanding a national report at this stage is
clearly to undermine parliament which is legally mandated with receiving the
report from COPAC,’ Mwonzora said.

Mwonzora also dismissed as
ridiculous attempts by the Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations
(FONGO) to use the Supreme Court to force them to release the outreach
National Statistical Report to the public.

FONGO president Goodson Nguni,
a well known ZANU PF fanatic, said the draft constitution that was released
by COPAC is a violation of the people’s freedom of expression. He added that
political parties should not speak on behalf of the people but that the
national statistics report should be released so that the views of the
people can be made known.

Mwonzora said: ‘That is a skimpy application.
After dismally failing to convince all right thinking Zimbabweans to back
it’s amended draft, ZANU PF has turned its machinery into demanding a
national report.

By definition a national report is a record of
everything that happens in a process. That means in the case of COPAC the
national report must record among other things, what happened at the First
Stakeholders Conference, the public outreach, the drafting stage and what
will happen or be resolved at the Second All Stakeholders Conference,’
explained Mwonzora.

He added: ‘The demands for the national report at
this stage are premature, misplaced and meant to mislead the people.
Further, the reliance on figures in the national statistical outreach
report, without any accompanying information on the atmosphere of the
meetings, is basically meaningless. It is being resorted to by people
fetching for reasons to discredit the process.’

Mwonzora was
referring the many reports of blatant intimidation at the outreach meetings
and the fact that ZANU PF supporters were often bussed in and told what to
say.

ZPF
linked parastatal to prospect for more diamonds

A government investment parastatal with strong
ZANU PF links has been granted special permission to prospect for more
diamonds, amid ongoing concern about illicit activity in current diamond
mining operations.

The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) has
been handed a special grant from the government, with the intention to
prospect in an area covering 1.8 million hectares. The area is believed to
be rich in diamond and gold deposits. ZMDC chairperson Goodwills
Masimirembwa, a legal expert linked to ZANU PF, confirmed the
development.

“The 1.8 million hectares cover Marange, Chimanimani and
Checheche, right up to the point where Save River goes into Mozambique. They
are all highly prospective for diamonds,” Masimirembwa was quoted by the
state media as saying.

Political analyst Clifford Mashiri said that
the ZMDC is “an arm of ZANU PF which is being used as if it is a government
venture to acquire shares in international ventures.”

“The ZMDC is a
fishing line used to hook big fish and those who consume the fish are ZANU
PF themselves,” Mashiri said.

He said this was clearly revealed in the
Chiadzwa diamond mines, where the ZMDC was originally touted as the state
arm of joint venture operations there. This was mean to ensure that the
national Treasury received remittances from the joint ventures. But it has
since emerged that the ZMDC is no longer involved in at least two of the
three ventures the government was meant to be a part of.

“This is why
we are arguing that ZMDC is arm of ZANU PF and used to reach out for
something it values in the areas of mines and minerals. That is a worrying
factor because these are not resources going to rest of the country,”
Mashiri said.

Magura
son sentenced to community service in Mudzi North

Mike Magura, the son of murdered MDC-T
ward chairman Cephas Magura, has been sentenced to perform community service
at Nyamapanda Clinic, as punishment for defending himself against two ZANU
PF thugs who attacked him on Wednesday.

Magura was attacked by two
thugs known as Kambambaira and Bhobho, who were part of a group of nine
arrested after Mike’s father Cephas was murdered at Chimukoko Business
Centre in May.

The attack was instigated by a ZANU PF mob that disrupted
a rally being held by the MDC-T at Chimukoko Business Centre in Mudzi North.
The others remain in detention, but Kambambaira and Bhobho were later
released.

It was later revealed the two thugs are lackeys of Mudzi North
MP Newton Kachepa, who allegedly used his truck to transport ZANU PF
supporters to Chimukoko on the day Magura died. Reports say they were
rewarded by the party with jobs at a parking bay.

It was while they
were working at the parking bay Wednesday that Kambambaira and Bhobho
spotted Mike Magura and began poking fun at him, taunting him about his
father’s death and support of the MDC-T. A physical fight broke out and all
three were rounded up by the police. But the ZANU PF members were released
without charge.

The partisan behavior by police, where they arrest the
victim of a crime because they support the MDC-T, has been documented on
many occasions and continues to be one of the contentious issues in
negotiations for a roadmap to free and fair elections.

Committee
Tasked with Writing New Constitution Dragged To Supreme
Court

The Zimbabwe Supreme court is expected Monday to
hear a case compelling the country’s Parliamentary Select committee tasked
with writing a new constitution to avail within 10 days a detailed report
with views of the people gathered in the outreach phase of the
constitution-making process.

A Zanu-PF linked group - the Federation of
Non-Governmental organizations filed papers in the court
Thursday.

The group’s president, Goodson Nguni in his founding affidavit,
argued that he and other citizens were bein, “hindered in the enjoyment of
their constitutional rights to freedom of expression by COPAC’s failure or
refusal to publish the national statistical report on the outcome of the
outreach programme.”

The court action follows a similar resolution by
the zanu-pf politburo that the national report be published and tied to the
copac draft constitution to the second all-stakeholders’
conference.

Analysts have accused Zanu-PF of trying to frustrate the
constitution-making process. But Nguni told VOA that COPAC is deliberately
ignoring people’s views.COPAC spokeswoman Jessie Majome dismissed the
court case as a waste of time.

WOZA
leaders walk out on cops

AT noon on 12th September 300 members of Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were prevented from conducting a peaceful protest
to The Chronicle in Bulawayo. Three small groups that managed to arrive at
the Chronicle but were quickly dispersed by Riot Police with raised baton
sticks. In 5 parts of the Central business district Riot Police were
standing in groups of 4 carrying baton sticks and obviously ready to stop
the protests as they began.14.09.1201:02pm

by Staff
Reporter

A block away, WOZA national coordinator, Jenni Williams was
standing alone when 4 police officers surrounded her. One of these police
officers had arrested Williams on 21 September 2011 while shopping in an
Electrical shop.

On that day, 30 minutes previously he had also arrested
Magodonga Mahlangu.

Both activists were then charged with Kidnap and
Theft, charges that are still being prosecuted in 2012.

On the 12
September, he once again refused to give his name but asked, "Jennifer what
are you planning here?" To which Williams replied, "What are you doing here
beating people?" The other police officers then started to lecture Williams
on the need for WOZA to notify police before any protest. A legal argument
ensured. One the officers then announced that the Officer Commanding of
Bulawayo, Central Assistant chief Inspector Rangwani wanted to see Williams.
The police officers then escort her to the station on foot.

As they began
to walk, Magodonga Mahlangu arrived and asked Williams what was happening.
It was at this point that a further legal argument ensued.

Williams
advised Mahlangu that it seemed she was under arrest.

The officers said
she was not but then refused to allow her to go and reschedule the meeting
with the chief Inspector.

As the two arrived at the police station, eight
members entered the station in solidarity bringing the number 'arrested' to
10. They were taken to the chief inspector Rangwani's office and they were
told he would be arriving shortly. Lawyers were deployed to represent the
activists but were denied access. A two and a half hour circus then ensued
with the activists being told they were being charged but some officers
refusing to charge them, mentioning the letter of complaint filed the week
before. The arresting officers then stage-managed the separation of Williams
and Mahlangu from the other 8. The 8 and other activists outside were
rounded up by a Riot squad and force marched to the bus terminus.

The
WOZA leaders who were now back in the OC Rangwani office were still unable
to access their lawyers. Finally two senior officers seated themselves in
the OC chair and surprisingly asked the two if they had wanted a meeting
with the OC. Williams then asked the whereabouts of OC Rangwani, the
officers admitted he was on leave. The WOZA leaders then stood up and said,
'as we are told we are not formally under arrest we are now leaving and will
be submitting a further letter of complaint." Williams then left her phone
number for a meeting to be scheduled and the two activists walked out of the
police station.

WOZA wish to draw attention to the disparate police
response between the police at Parliament in Harare and the Bulawayo police.
On 12 September it was obvious that the WOZA leaders were arrested to
prevent their exercising their right to protest. This right is provided by
constitutional law buttressed by Supreme Court ruling of

2010 after
legal action taken by Williams and Mahlangu. 'Once again police in Bulawayo
have acted overzealously and acted to discriminate against WOZA members from
Bulawayo which is regional and tribal discrimination.

MDC-T
want SADC and A.U. to supervise Constitutional Conference

The MDC-T has called for regional and
international supervision of the Constitutional reform process, following a
deadlock between the MDC formations and ZANU PF, over which draft of the new
charter to proceed with.

A statement from the MDC-T said they feared a
faction of ZANU PF is planning to “cause chaos and mayhem at the Second All
Stakeholders Conference so as to collapse the process”.

They also
claimed that the police, led by Commissioner Chihuri, “would be too glad to
watch idly while the ZANU PF thugs harass the delegates to the
conference”.

As a result the party said they insist that the
executive, meaning Robert Mugabe, “ensure that satisfactory mechanisms are
put in place to stop the criminal elements from disturbing the
conference”.

In addition, the MDC-T insists that SADC, the African Union
and the international community supervise and monitor the Second All
Stakeholders Conference, with assurances that all the necessary security
arrangements have been made.

The party’s secretary for elections,
Seiso Moyo, told SW Radio Africa that it is public knowledge that elements
within ZANU PF tried to disrupt the first All Stakeholders Conference in
2009 and the party is seeing the same signs of resistance and refusal to
follow the GPA.

“Our concern now is really from the point of view of
elections. We want a free and fair process. And this conference being part
of that electoral process, if it is disturbed, then we don’t see a Zimbabwe
in which people can make those kinds of decisions freely and fairly,” Moyo
explained.

Meanwhile there continues to be confusion over what the ZANU
PF politburo has decided to do about the deadlocked Constitutional
process.

According to the Herald, the Politburo resolved to take the
COPAC draft to the Second All Stakeholders Conference and also want the
national report, based on the outreach program, to be published. They insist
this is the only way people could see if their views are represented in the
draft.

But ZBC reported that the Politburo ‘resolved’ to stand by its
amended draft, even though there was no consensus among the Principles. ZBC
quoted ZANU PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Rugare Gumbo,
saying: “Failure by the principals to come up with a consensus will result
in a stakeholders meeting deciding on the COPAC or the audited draft.”

“The MDC thrust on its economic blue print is to put
an emphasis on the creation of jobs because the unemployment rate is more
than 80 per cent.

“We need policies that lead to the opening of mines,
revival of industry as well as bring in international businesses; that way
we will create employment.

Still, Kasukuwere countered: “The MDC will
never come up with policies that make sense because we know they are not
genuine. How will they convince their whites that we want to empower our
people?

“We will not change (our policies) we already have instruments
that carter for foreigners who want to come and invest in Zimbabwe - we are
talking about entrepreneurs who create the jobs.”

Zimbabwe’s economy
has enjoyed steady, if marginal, growth since the formation of the coalition
government in 2009 and the adoption of foreign currencies in place of a
virtually worthless local unit.

But the recovery has not come with jobs
and unemployment remains high with most companies still operating at levels
well below capacity due to the lack of capital.

Again, the growth
registered over the last few years has begun to falter with Finance Minister
Tendai Biti recently admitting that projections for the year would not be
met on the back of poor revenue inflows and the lack of international
budgetary support.

Top economic analyst John Robertson said Zimbabwe
needs to concentrate on ensuring the operating environment was encouraging
of new investment.

“To fix the deeply entrenched problems, we have to
deal with the basic issues, so the required recovery plans should, first,
concentrate on the policy changes needed to place the Rule of Law onto a
sound footing and to repeal all laws and regulations that discourage
investors,” he said.

“The important point here is that job creation
depends upon investment. Investors can go anywhere in the world, so we have
to make them want to stay here, or come here.

“We therefore need to
get rid of any laws or attitudes that interfere with the acquisition,
ownership and marketability of property. In this regard, all forms of
property count, whether these are areas of land, mining claims, financial
instruments or company shares,” he said.

Robertson added: “If Zimbabwe
had forward-looking policies that showed a commitment to restore an
attractive investment climate, its officials would have no difficulty
inviting experts to make estimates of the time and funding that would be
needed to restore each utility and service.”

R1-billion Zimbabwe loan
controversial but strategic

Zimbabwe's appeal for financial assistance puts South Africa in
a position to make requests for political change in the cash-strapped
country.

It follows a request from Swaziland for a loan of
R2.4-billion that was first mooted in 2011. This was after its main source
of revenue, payments from the Southern African Customs Union, fell sharply
during the economic recession. The tiny kingdom has also faced financial
administration problems, which contributed to pro-democracy challenges to
billionaire King Mswati III's rule.

Whether Zimbabwe succeeds in its
plea will only be revealed following a meeting later this month between
Gordhan and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Tendai Biti. The situation in the
country is fraught under the coalition government of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) and Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.

Media reports
suggest that Biti is looking for nearly R1-billion from South Africa, but
neither the treasury nor the department of international relations and
co-operation would confirm this.

Potential aid to a second neighbour with a questionable human
rights and governance record is bound to raise eyebrows. But given that
Zimbabwe is in a critical transitional phase, "hopefully" towards a
post-Mugabe governance arrangement, support at this time could constitute a
strategic investment in a more democratic future, said Peter Draper, senior
research fellow at the South African Institute for International
Affairs.

Losing substantial credibilityFailure to secure funding
could mean the MDC, which is responsible for the country's finances, could
lose substantial credibility domestically if the government went technically
insolvent, said Draper. "Zanu-PF would be encouraged to ramp up off-budget
revenue sources, with all that implies for democratic
governance."

Any proposed loan could come with political conditions,
although it was not clear what these would be, he said. At a minimum, he
posited that South Africa might want to ­corral Zanu-PF back into
constitutional negotiations.

"Their reaction to potential conditions
would be another interesting dimension that could undermine South Africa's
mediation effort," said Draper. "These are hard choices for the South
African government, which should not be trivialised into black-and-white
categories."

The loan to Swaziland is yet to be finalised, despite a
memorandum of understanding signed in June.

In response to a
parliamentary question in early August, Gordhan said assistance to Swaziland
would take "the form of a conditional loan from the South African Reserve
Bank to the Central Bank of Swaziland".

The memorandum, which outlined "a
set of political, fiscal, collaborative and capacity-building measures that
the respective parties must pursue", governed the Swaziland loan, he
said.

Still negotiatingTwo agreements needed to be signed. The first
is the loan agreement between the respective central bank governors and the
second is the financial conditions agreement between the respective
ministers of finance. Neither has been finalised and the financial
authorities of the two countries were still negotiating, the treasury
said.

Loan repayments are intended to begin in 2015 with a debit order
that is placed on Swaziland's Southern African Customs Union revenue shares,
according to the treasury.

It is not clear what the obstacles in
negotiations are.

The state has not outlined the detailed terms of the
recently signed memorandum of understanding, but in its responses to
requests for comment the international relations and co-operation department
indicated that Swaziland had to fulfil conditions articulated in a statement
the treasury made in 2011.

These included confidence-building
measures such as promoting economic and social development, multilateral
co-operation, democracy, human rights and good governance, as well as
instituting fiscal and related technical reforms that the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) requires. Swaziland is also expected to receive
capacity-building support from South Africa and cooperate in multilateral
engagement with institutions such as the World Bank and the African
Development Bank.

Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the international
relations and cooperation department, confirmed that no payments had been
made to Swaziland.

Monyela said there was no decision on whether
South Africa would grant the loan to Zimbabwe or apply any conditions to
it.

In 2008, South Africa loaned Zimbabwe R300-million through the
African Renaissance Fund to support agricultural development. The department
manages the fund and, according to Monyela, it is part of a series of
packages granted to boost sustainable development on the
continent.

"The funded projects are being monitored and evaluated on a
continuous basis to ensure that the objectives of the renaissance fund are
achieved and that the finances are applied in the manner for which they were
intended," he said.

A budget support grant of R300-million was
granted to Zimbabwe in 2009 to pay for the rehabilitation of municipal
infrastructure, including water reticulation, health services and education.

Zimbabwe:
$1bn bailout bet baffles Harare bankers

Since dollarisation in 2009, policymakers in Zimbabwe have failed
to solve the problems created by weak banks in a bankrupt econokmy with an
overcrowded financial sector. Policy – driven by politicians not
technocrats – has been decidedly populist.It is familiar bank-bashing
(over excessive charges, punitive interest rates and a reluctance to lend to
SMEs) and politicians demanding rescue packages for banks that get into
trouble. Four banks including the country’s biggest have turned to the
government for help in the last two years. Now there’s a new plan to set up
a fund for bad loans with a Dubai investment company’s help.Government’s
finances are under intense strain – so much so that last week finance
minister Tendai Biti appealed to South Africa for a $100m loan. As a result
it has had to fall back on unconventional means to keep troubled banks
afloat. One soft touch has been to resort to the state-owned National Social
Security Association (NSSA) which has helped rescue two banks; a third was
bailed out temporarily by some of the healthy banks.Now Biti is trying to
put a long-term bailout fund together in partnership with a Dubai-based
private equity fund, Global Emerging Markets. The plan is to set up a $1bn
fund, the Zimbabwe Resolution Corporation, financed by a ten-year bond issue
backed by a government guarantee. Banks would be required to support the
fund with a 2 per cent levy on their risk-weighted assets.The ZRC would
then purchase the bad loans of the banking system – that are heavily
concentrated in the hands of locally-owned or indigenous banks. In mid-
year, non-performing loans were $350m or 12.3 per cent of total bank
lending. Eight of the country’s 24 banks had NPLs in excess of this average
including six where bad loans exceeded a quarter of total lending.The
plan is getting a mixed press. Critics say the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s
call for a radical increase in bank capital from $12.5m now (for commercial
banks) to $100m by mid-2014 is the way to go. They point out that the weak
banks have been under strain for years and should either be merged with, or
taken over by, the stronger units. “This rescue fund is just postponing the
inevitable,” said one leading banker this week.Others ask how an
insolvent state – Zimbabwe’s external debt exceeds 110 per cent of GDP, with
arrears of 70 per cent of GDP – can guarantee the ZRC bonds, especially at a
time when the government is asking South Africa for a loan. Does that mean –
they ask – that the South African Reserve Bank has now taken on the role of
Zimbabwe’s lender of last resort?The financial rational behind GEM’s plan is
unclear to many banking observers. The fund is based on the optimistic
assumption that today’s bad bank loans will become tomorrow’s good ones –
that somehow bank creditors will be able to repay the ZRC so that the
Zimbabwe government – and other investors, including the unfortunate NSSA,
will not have to pick up the tab at some time in the future.Hard-headed
bankers are deeply cynical, especially so since a disturbingly high
proportion of the bad loans is made up of insider lending to friends,
family, employees and bank-owned businesses. The suggestion mooted by
officials that local investors, including pension funds, will buy the bonds
looks fanciful, and is unlikely to be realised unless the bonds pay a
minimum of ten per cent.The disappointment is that Zimbabwe needs bank
restructuring, not a bailout fund to keep alive those whose life-support
systems should have been switched off months, if not years, ago.

The
Chinese, prisons and unrest

The news
that the Chinese are set to take over several prisons in Harare, including
Chikurubi, the maximum security prison, came as quite a shock. The
impression given by the headline was misleading, it’s not the prison
buildings the Chinese want but the sites with their proximity to population
centres and trading opportunities where the Chinese will build shopping
malls and hotels and, much more sinister, an arms factory. In return, the
Chinese have pledged to build new prisons and in view of the appalling state
of Zimbabwe’s prisons, that might not be a bad thing. AIDS campaigner
Douglas Muzenenanamo who is himself HIV positive is taking the police chief
and the prison commander to court to force prisons to give AIDS patients
their medication. Muzenanamo describes how when he was in prison he only
received medication after his lawyer intervened and even then he was not
given the tablets at the correct time. Failure to take the medication on
time and in the correct order may lead to severe complications in the
patient’s condition, leading even to death. The truth is that conditions are
so bad in Zimbabwe’s prisons with severe over-crowding that it is possible
that a whole range of diseases are contracted inside prisons. We know from
the general population in Zimbabwe that understanding how the AIDS virus
works requires a robust information campaign. Perhaps prison guards are
unaware of the importance of regular medication for those unfortunate
prisoners who are suffering from AIDS?

The state of the prisons and
the danger of contracting diseases can only worsen the plight of the 29 MDC
activists who have been in prison for over a year on charges of having
killed a policeman. The lawyer of the Glen View 29 as they are called
presented a fresh application for bail to the High Court this week. The
recent unrest on Harare’s streets will no doubt mean an increase in prison
numbers. It is reported that the police have taken it upon themselves to
attack suspects in an attempt to extract the names of the people who beat up
two police officers last week. In all probability it was the notorious
Chipangano gang who assaulted the police officers but Chipangano are, as we
know, unlikely to be prosecuted for their crimes; they are supporters of
Zanu PF. In fact, four soldiers are currently under arrest for assaulting
members of the gang while other soldiers mount revenge attacks on commuter
bus touts.

It is not only the capital that is experiencing unrest in
Zimbabwe. Remote places such as Mudzi North in Mash East are also involved
in disturbances. In Bulawayo, once the industrial heartland of the country,
firms are closing all the time and the city centre is crowded with vendors
selling anything they can lay their hands on to earn some cash. With the
economy teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, the Finance Minister, Tendayi
Biti is desperately trying to borrow money to pay civil servants. Now comes
the news that unemployment is calculated to be an unbelievable 95% of the
population. True or not, the situation is dire and it is hardly surprising
that no one wants to lend money to a collapsing state. South Africa has
apparently refused and are themselves under attack for selling arms to
Zimbabwe. Tendayi Biti was apparently on his way to Australia to see if
Julia Gillard would be more receptive to his pleas for help. The fact that
Zimbabwe has the second biggest diamond field in the world means that no one
quite believes the government claims that they are broke.

Some
comfort might be gained from the fact that at least we now have a free press
– or do we? Webster Shamu is on record saying that newspapers will be closed
if they continue to denigrate Mugabe. “There is no need of attacking the
president or the leadership for no reason,” he said, “This is an abuse of
freedom.” Shamu’s definition of freedom applies only to those who approve of
Zanu PF and Robert Mugabe while prison is reserved for opponents, such as
the Woza women arrested this week or MDC supporters arrested on trumped-up
charges.

Bill Watch 43/2012 of 14th September [Current Representation in Parliament - Impact if Vacancies are Filled]

BILL WATCH 43/2012

[14th September 2012]

Current
Party Representation in Parliament

Impact
if Vacancies are Filled

Could one party alone
get the draft constitution they want through Parliament?A constitutional change must be approved by
“the affirmative votes of not less than
two-thirds of the total membership of each House” [Constitution, section
52(3)].“Total membership” means the numbers in
each House specified in the Constitution, i.e., 215 in the House of Assembly and
99 in the Senate.This has raised
questions about voting strengths in Parliament and if by-elections would make a
significant difference.

Current Party Representation in Parliament

[For details of vacancies see further below]

House of Assembly

16 vacant seats, leaving 199 MPs out of a possible 215.

The breakdown by party is:

ZANU-PF94

MDC-T97

MDC8

A two-thirds majority in the House of Assembly would be 144
votes.This means that the MDCs voting
together [105] would have to get 39 ZANU-PF MPs to vote with them for a
two-thirds majority.Conversely, for ZANU-PF to get a
two-thirds majority for the constitution they want, they would have to get 50
MDC votes.

Senate

14 vacant seats, leaving 85 Senators out of a possible 99.

The breakdown by party, with Senator Chiefs listed separately,
is:

ZANU-PF38 [including 9 governors and 5 appointed
Senators]

Chiefs16

MDC-T23[including 3 appointed
Senators]

MDC8[including 2 appointed
Senators]

A two-thirds majority in the Senate would be 66 votes. The chiefs
have always voted for ZANU-PF, which would give that bloc 54, meaning they would
have to get 12 MDC votes for a two-thirds majority.If the MDCs vote together they have 31 votes
and would have to win over 35 chiefs and ZANU-PF Senators for a two-thirds
majority.[As parties
have a strong Party Caucus and Whip system, winning over votes from an opposing
party is highly unlikely on so important a matter as a constitution, especially
if it is one on which ZANU-PF and the MDCs have taken strongly opposing views.
Consensus on which draft goes to Parliament is
essential.

Would holding all 26
by-elections currently in the news enable either ZANU-PF or the combined MDCs to
muster a two-thirds majority in both House?

Voting Strengths if 26 By-Elections Held and Other Vacancies
Filled

How would party strengths change if the potential 26 by-elections all
go ahead and the 4 non-constituency Senate vacancies are filled?That is a question that can only be answered
precisely after the by-elections, if they are ever called, and much would depend
on whether the GPA agreement not to contest seats won by a party in the 2008
elections is observed.What can be said
at this stage is this that it is extremely unlikely that either ZANU-PF and
Chiefs together, or the MDCs voting together, would end up with a two-thirds
majority in either House.In fact the
only two-thirds majority that could possibly be achieved is for ZANU-PF/Chiefs
in the Senate if ZANU-PF won every single by-election for that
House.

House of Assembly – a two-thirds majority would be 144 votes out of
215

If the GPA parties hold to the no-contest pact, or, if contested, the
by-elections result in each party winning the same constituencies as they did in
the 2008 elections, the end result would be ZANU-PF 102; MDC-T 102; MDC 11.Neither ZANU-PF nor the combined MDCs would
have a two-thirds majority.Nor would
either bloc, even in the unlikely scenario of one camp winning all the
by-elections.[IfZANU-PF won all 16 by-elections they
would then have110 seats to the combined MDCs 105.If the combined MDCs were to win all
by-elections they would have 121 to ZANU-PF’s 94.]

Senate – a two-thirds majority would be 66 votes out of
99

Under a no-contest pact, or, if contested, the by-election results follow the 2008 pattern, and
assuming the 2 seats due for appointment and the 2 chiefs’ seats were filled,
the ZANU-PF/Chiefs bloc would have 63 to the MDC bloc’s 36, not a two-thirds
majority.If the MDC bloc were
successful in all the by-elections they would still only have 42 votes to the
ZANU-PF bloc’s 57; not a two-thirds majority.In the event of ZANU-PF winning all the by-elections in the Senate ,
ZANU-PF and Chiefs together would have a very narrow two-thirds majority in the
Senate [67 votes to the MDC bloc 32].But for one partyto win
all the by-elections is a very unlikely outcome, and it still would not get the constitution through as
it has to have a two-thirds majority in both Houses.

The
26 Vacant Constituency Seats Due for By-Elections

As the media are
continuing to give a variety of different numbers of vacant seats requiring
by-elections, Veritas is again outlining the correct situation.Out of a total of 30 vacant Parliamentary
seats, there are 26 vacant constituency seats for which by-elections are
overdue, 16 in the House of Assembly and 10 in the Senate.The constituencies concerned, and which party
and individual previously held each seat, are listed below.These details have been verified with
Parliament and they are the figures agreed by the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission which is responsible for conducting by-elections.Whether
by-elections will ever be held is a separate question.

Vacant House of
Assembly Constituency Seats for By-Elections [Total
16]

[in
alphabetical order by constituency]

ZANU-PF [8]Reason for
vacancy

Bindura North [Mash
C]Elliot Manyika
deceased

Gokwe-Gumunyu [Midlands] Ephrem Mushoriwa deceased

Guruve North [Mash C]
Cletus Mabharanga deceased

Marondera East [Mash
E] Tracy Mutinhiri expelled
from party

Mount Darwin East
[Mash C] Betty Chikava deceased

Mutare North
[Manicaland]Charles Pemenhayi deceased

Mwenezi West [Masvingo]
NeddieMasukume deceased

Shamva South [Mash C]
Samuel Ziteya deceased

MDC-T
[5]

EmakhandeniEntumbane [Byo]Cornelius Dube deceased

Gutu South
[Masvingo]Eliphas Mukonoweshuro deceased

Mabvuku-Tafara [Harare]Shepherd Madamombe
deceased

Makoni Central
[Manicaland] John Nyamande
deceased

Matobo North [Mat S]
Lovemore Moyo
elected Speaker

MDC
[3]

Bulilima East [Mat S]
Norman Mpofu
expulsion from party

Lupane East [Mat N]
Njabuliso Mguni
expulsion from party

Nkayi South [Mat N]
Abednico Bhebhe
expulsion from party

Vacant Senate
Constituency Seats for By-Elections [Total 10]

[in
alphabetical order by constituency]

ZANU-PF [6]Reason for
vacancy

Bindura-Shamva [Mash
C]Misheck Chando deceased

Chegutu [Mash W]
Ednah Madzongwe elected Senate
President

Chiredzi [Masvingo]
Titus Maluleke
appointed Governor

Gokwe South
[Midlands] Jason Machaya
appointed Governor

Kadoma [Mash W] Chiratidzo Gava
deceased

Mberengwa [Midlands]
Richard Hove
deceased

MDC-T
[4]

Gweru-Chirumanzu [Midlands] Patrick Kombayi deceased

Hwange [Mat N] Jabulani Ndlovu
deceased

Mabutweni [Byo]Gladys Dube
deceased

Masotsha-Ndlovu
[Byo]Enna Chitsa deceased

MDC
[0]

There
are Also Vacant Non-Constituency Seats Not Requiring By-Elections

The
other 4 vacant seats, all in the Senate, are listed below for the sake of
completeness.They do not have to be
filled by calling by-elections.These
non-constituency vacancies were caused by the deaths of the incumbents.

2
chiefs seats:These seats are for particular provinces, but
are not constituency seats in the ordinary sense.Vacancies must be filled by the provincial
assemblies
of chiefs in the provinces concerned, sitting as electoral colleges.
There
is 1 vacant seat for Manicaland, formerly held by the late Chief Chimombe,and 1 for Matabeleland South, formerly
held by the late Chief Bidi.

2
appointed seats:One of these seats is the MDC-T appointed
seat formerly occupied by the
late Dr Tichaona Mudzingwa,
waiting to be filled by an MDC-T
nominee.The other is an ex officio provincial governor’s seat
formerly occupied by the late Harare Provincial Governor Dr David Karimanzira,
waiting to be filled by the President’s appointment of a new Harare Provincial
Governor.

Clarification of
Common Misconceptions About Vacancies

Figure of 38
vacancies wrong the figure 38 seems
to have stuck since Minister Chinamasa,
speaking off the cuff in the Senate, said
he thought there were about 38 Parliamentary vacancies, but warned that he
needed to confirm the figure.He later
gave the correct number as 26.

Vice-President
Mujuru’s Mount Darwin West seat not vacantV-P Mujuru kept her House of Assembly seat
when she was elevated to Vice-President.Misconceptions may have been prompted by a misreading of Article 20.1.8
of Schedule 8 to the Constitution:“20.1.8ParliamentPersons appointed to the posts of Vice-President, Prime Minister and
Deputy Prime Minister and who are not already Members of Parliament, become
ex officio members of the House of Assembly.Should persons so appointed be already
members of Parliament, then the Party of which that person is a member or
nominee shall have the right to nominate a non-constituency member of the
relevant House.”ZANU-PF
did
this, belatedly, in March 2011, when Ms Oppah Muchinguri was appointed a
non-constituency MP by President Mugabe.

Senator
Bennett’s appointed Senate seat not vacantAlthough Senator Bennett has not been seen in
the Senate since he left the country in September 2010, the Senate has never
invoked its power to unseat him for absenteeism in terms of section 41(1)(d) of
the Constitution.While he stays away, MDC-T’s Senate strength on paper is effectively
reduced by one.

Temporary suspensions no longer in force4 MDC-T MPs were under suspension after being sentenced to imprisonment for
committing criminal offences, but they retained their seats and were all fully
reinstated after having their convictions overturned on appeal.

Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information supplied

The love scandals that rocked Zanu PF: Part
4

Those who live in glass
houses should not throw stones, but obviously someone forgot to tell the folks
inside Zanu PF. In this expose, we look at the love scandals that have dominated
Mugabe’s party since independence in 1980.

James Makamba (Former
Zanu PF MP)

Businessman, Radio
Presenter and former Zanu PF MP for Mt Darwin James Makamba fled to the United
Kingdom in 2005 after rumours of his alleged affair with First Lady Grace Mugabe
threatened to complicate his defence of ‘dodgy’ charges that he had externalised
millions of dollars in foreign currency.

James Makamba and Grace Mugabe

A US diplomatic cable
titled “First Boyfriend Released” and ‘Wiki-Leaked’ in 2009 suggests the late
army General Solomon Mujuru ‘weighed in’ to support Makamba during his
incarceration. The cable quotes Makamba family sources who also say Grace Mugabe
repeatedly called Makamba’s wife to apologise.

The reason for the
apology was never fully explained.

Makamba denied both
allegations but after more than 6 months in custody, decided to flee the country
when he was out on bail. Last year Makamba and businessmen like him who were
facing charges of externalising foreign currency were ‘de-specified’ and told
they were free to come back.

But rumours of
Makamba’s affair with First Lady, Grace Mugabe appeared to complicate his
position. In 2005 Mugabe had ordered that the Central Intelligence Organisation
(CIO) do a ‘sweep’ of Makamba’s Johannesburg home in South Africa after hearing
claims that he was secretly seeing his wife.

One report said
“Makamba did himself great harm by sending flowers and presents to Grace Mugabe
through intermediaries. Some of the flowers were received on behalf of the First
Lady by the CIO security men. Grace justified the meetings as being related to
‘business and agricultural’ matters.”

According to the
report, in one incident “Makamba visited Mrs Mugabe in a Johannesburg hotel for
a long period one night. Her security detail recorded the incident and later
advised her husband.” Makamba has remained media shy and refuses to discuss the
matter with journalists up to this day.

When Makamba’s daughter
Chiedza died in a tragic car crash last year in December, Makamba was not able
to attend the funeral in Zimbabwe and told his colleagues in Zanu PF to help
with the funeral. He explained that he could not attend “due to his invidious
position”.

Roger Boka (Late
businessman aligned to Zanu PF)

Business tycoon Roger
Boka, one of the pioneers of black empowerment in Zimbabwe, had a soft spot for
the ladies. He successfully wooed and had a long running affair with then ZBC TV
presenter Nanette Silikhuni. Boka died in February 1999 after a “long
illness”.

Boka bought Silikhuni a
Mazda 626 Executive vehicle when she was still a student at the Harare
Polytechnic and her children were also well looked after by the businessman. One
of Silikhuni’s friends recounted how she had a “beautiful Samsung mobile phone —
a rare luxury for college students.”

Another report on the
New Zimbabwe.com website recounted testimony from a witness who said “I used to
be Silukhuni’s neighbour in the late 90′s at Zambezi Flats on Quendon Road in
Malbereign. I would see Boka in a white vest relaxing at Silukhuni’s
balcony.”

Another friend of the
presenter told the website that “At around the same time she was running off
with Boka, we had Lydia Mavengere (former ZBC TV presenter) confronting her over
Myethi Mpofu (Natbrew MD). She (Nanette) just has an uncanny predilection to
sleep walk into love triangles.”

As reported before
Silukhuni was to later have another affair with Local Government Minister
Igantius Chombo which resulted in a nasty divorce between the Minister and his
wife Marian Mhloyi. Marian sued Silikhuni for Z$2 billion dollars blaming her
for the breakdown of her marriage to Chombo.

Join me tomorrow
(Friday) for Part 5, the last in this series. You can also follow me on
twitter@LanceGuma